


Little Secrets

by jesuisbree



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-08-28 01:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8425228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesuisbree/pseuds/jesuisbree
Summary: "Secrets are made to be found out with time."-Charles SanfordWhat happens when two young students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry believe they know all the other's deepest, darkest secrets? What happens when they find out they've barely scratched the surface?





	1. "No one keeps a secret so well as a child." - Victor Hugo

**Author's Note:**

> A story I posted a long time ago on Mibba that I'd like to revisit, edit, and tweak a little. It's still my favorite piece of fan-fiction and I hope you enjoy it!

A small, yet lithe looking girl sat in between Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe in one of the compartments of the Hogwarts Express. Her bright, silvery-blonde hair was parted far to one side; it swooped down a bit over her forehead and was pinned back with a small black bow. She had already dressed in her robes, unlike the two boys who sat beside her, and she was wringing her hands nervously in her lap. The sun cast rays into the compartment as the Hogwarts Express barreled through the countryside, briefly illuminating her blemish-free, pale skin.

“Where’s Malfoy?” Crabbe asked, glancing over the top of the girl’s head to look at Goyle. Goyle just gave him a shrug and shook his head a bit. The girl’s bright blue eyes widened a bit and she looked up at Goyle.

“You didn’t say he was going to be here,” she said in a small voice, sounding a bit frantic. Goyle just laughed and shook his head a bit.

“Well, what did you expect, Charlie? He’s in the same house as us and considering who our parents are we were bound to get along...er...or at least hang out,” he replied. Charlotte, or Charlie as those who knew her called her, wrinkled her nose a bit in disdain before looking at the opposite seat of the compartment sourly. Goyle and Crabbe were about to start their second year at Hogwarts, while Charlotte was going to start her first year.

The glass door slid open and both Crabbe and Goyle looked up to spy the tall, lanky blonde boy in the door way. After greeting the two boys in the compartment, he sat across from the three of them and quickly Crabbe and Goyle moved from Charlotte’s side of the compartment to the boy’s.

“How did your vacations go?” The boy asked. Charlotte glanced between Goyle and Crabbe, her eyes purposely skipping over the boy in the middle of them.

“Russia was cold,” Goyle said, with a guffaw. Charlotte just rolled her eyes. She had found Russia more than just cold, but she held her tongue. She didn’t want to speak while he was present. The less attention she brought to herself, the better.

“I didn’t go on one,” Crabbe replied, looking a bit sour. The boy in the middle just smirked.

“I found the Italian countryside to be quite nice,” he commented snidely before his eyes connected with the girl on the opposite side of the compartment. Charlie felt her insides clench uncomfortable and her teeth grind together. She stared darkly at him, her hands in fists as she clenched nervously onto her robes. “Well…she’s new.”

“Obviously,” she hissed through clenched teeth. His eyebrows rose slightly at her tone and he laughed, Crabbe and Goyle soon joining him.

“Has Crabbe got himself a girlfriend?” He asked jokingly, looking over at the shorter of his two cronies. Charlotte suddenly got a disgusted look on her face. Crabbe just chuckled to himself and shook his head as a blush rose to his pudgy face, while Goyle didn’t look too pleased with that comment.

“That’s my sister, Draco,” Goyle said through tight lips. Draco raised a brow and looked over at the girl in astonishment.

“I hadn’t recognized her. She’s done a lot of…growing…since the last time I saw her,” he said, glancing over at her with a crooked grin. “Tell me, Charlotte, are you going to be put in Slytherin like the rest of us?” She swallowed hard as she looked between the three of them.

“I-I’m not sure,” she said softly. Goyle shot her a look and she sunk back into her seat.

“She knows she will be,” he said darkly. The girl shot him a sharp look to which Goyle shrugged and pulled a face. Charlotte merely sighed before she self-consciously checked to make sure the sleeves of her dress shirt covered to her wrists. Draco continued to grin as he watched the girl closely.

“That’s nice to know. Things should get quite interesting with her around,” he said smugly. Charlotte just glared at him, her brow furrowed hard.

“Why do you care? The last time we saw each other you ruined my birthday dinner, a perfectly good dress, and my new broomstick…all on one night.” She looked at him, her cheeks flushing a bright pink in anger. Draco just laughed to himself and shook his head before standing and sitting extremely close to the young girl.

“Charlie, Charlie, Charlie,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She immediately tensed, her hand diving instinctively into the pocket of her robe and grasping onto her wand. “You can’t honestly be saying you’re still mad at that?” She looked up at him, cutting her eyes at him.

“I was seven years old.” Charlotte grit her teeth, watching as Draco’s expression changed slightly. “You ruined my birthday.” Charlotte glanced over to Goyle to see his hands clenched into fists like hers had been earlier.

“If I say I’m sorry, will you forgive me,” Draco cooed in her ear. Charlotte gave a visible shudder before flipping her wand out of her cloak and placing the tip of it just under his chin. Draco’s expression suddenly turned frightened as he looked down at her, trying to tilt his head as far back from the wand as possible.

“Tell me that you mean it,” the girl’s once shy voice now held a dark, threatening tone to it and her once bright face hardened as she watched him. “Tell me that you’re genuinely sorry for ruining my birthday and I can forgive you.”

“I’m sorry,” Draco cried tears almost welling up in his eyes as his voice broke a couple of times. “I’m so sorry for ruining your 7th birthday.” Charlotte just watched him for a moment before quickly placing her wand back into her pocket. She then smiled and looked around the compartment at the two, very awestruck boys and her beaming older brother. She looked over at Goyle and he smiled before she glanced between Crabbe and Draco, who had quickly removed his arm from around her shoulders scampered back to the opposite seat. Charlotte gave a small giggle as she watched Draco.

“Well…it’s nice seeing you again, Draco,” she said softly, smiling widely. Draco just stared at her with wide eyes before glancing over at Goyle and shaking his head a bit. He couldn’t believe how quickly the sweet, innocent looking girl could turn so violent and scary, but he wasn’t as scared as he should have been considering whom all of their families were. She probably didn’t know any serious spells and if she did hurt him, their families would be at odds.

“Yeah,” was all Draco managed as he massaged the soft skin under his chin. Charlotte stared at him for a moment, her eyes twinkling with a sprite-like gleam; slightly malicious, yet with no real intention of harming. Draco stared at her in hesitance and studied the look in her eyes carefully. She blinked once and the glimmer was gone. The innocent, angelic looking girl had returned and she turned her bright blue gaze to the window, watching as the scenery passed by.

A flash of blue passed by the window and she leaned closer to the glass, eyes raised to the sky before swooping around the scenery. Charlotte furrowed her brows before looking back into the compartment and catching the gaze of Goyle.

“What is it?” Goyle asked. Charlotte paused for a moment, noticing that Draco and Crabbe were watching her closely.

“Have you ever seen…a flying car on the way to Hogwarts?” She asked softly, not really sure that what she had seen was actually real. Goyle guffawed like he normal did and shook his head.

“No, I haven’t. You should really lay off the Firewhiskey, sis,” he said. The two others in the compartment started chortling to themselves, watching Charlotte closely. Her face darkened again as she looked out the window.

“I swear I saw something out the window. And you should know above all people, Gregory, that I haven’t had any Firewhiskey since my last birthday,” she said, glaring at Goyle before scoffing and crossing her arms over her chest. She took in a deep breath and glanced over at the three boys. “You three should put on your school robes. I expect we’ll be at the school soon,” she said coolly. The three boys stood, collected their robes, and left the compartment without a sound. Charlotte took in a deep breath and shook her head slightly.

She began to play nervously with the ends of her hair, staring at the spot that Draco once occupied with an unreadable look on her face. She drew in a slow breath of air, getting lost in her own thoughts for the moment. She was only brought out of those thoughts by the rapping of someone’s fist against the compartment window. Charlotte jumped sudden and looked out the window to see a plump-looking, older woman pushing a trolley of sweets.

Charlotte stood and opened the door, looking at the woman expectantly with her hands on her hips.

“Care to buy any sweets from the trolley, my dear?” The woman asked in an almost annoyingly flighty voice.

“No, thank you,” Charlotte said as sweet as she could with a small smile. The woman just nodded and pushed the trolley on, obviously not catching Charlotte’s annoyance. Charlotte closed the compartment door and sat back down, crossing her arms over her chest. Before she knew it the boys were back in the compartment, the three of them horsing around a bit before finally sitting down. She continued to stare out the window, noticing the sky was steadily darkening.

“Apparently, neither Harry Potter nor Ron Weasley are on the Hogwarts Express,” Draco said. Charlotte’s face curled at bit when he mentioned Harry Potter. He took note of this and grinned widely.

“So you don’t like St. Potter either, I take it,” he said proudly. The look Charlotte shot him said it all.

“No…no I don’t,” she said, shaking her head.

“I do hope you'll forgive me for ruining your party. If you dislike Potter as much as I think you do, we’ll get along very well then, Charlie,” Draco said with his signature smirk. Charlotte watched him carefully for a moment, eyes slipping between his as if she were trying to read his thoughts. There were a few tense moments in the compartment before Charlotte's sour expression melted into a smirk that rivaled the one on Draco's features.

“We probably will, Draco.” Her eyes held his for a few moments longer before she turned to look out the window once more.


	2. "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." - James Taylor

A tall, lithe blonde fifth year stepped out from the Slytherin Common Room, straightening the green and silver tie around her neck. Her robes had been freshly pressed and she wore the school’s uniform skirt, yet it was probably a bit shorter than regulation. Her long, choppy blonde hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail at the nape of her neck, a tiny black bow holding back the strands of hair that otherwise wouldn’t have stayed put in the hair-tie. She glanced over at the smaller, petite girl beside her with a smirk. The girl merely looked back up at her as she tucked her shoulder-length, chocolate brown hair behind her ear.

Suddenly, loud popping noises erupted from the Slytherin Common Room and students came pouring out of it as well as a stinky, green-colored gas. The two girls smirked and glanced over their shoulders at the mass of outraged students before continuing on to the Great Hall to enjoy their breakfast. The shorter of the two pranksters was a girl named Marianne Elizabeth Thatcher, but she hated her first name so everyone called her Ellie. As the girls climbed up the stairs, it seemed the other students parted to make way for the two, almost as if they were feared.

The two of them were relentless in their childish pranks when someone got on their bad side. Hell, they even played pranks on people on their good side if they got bored enough. It didn’t help that they were both very skilled witches for their age and that they excelled in nearly all of their classes. They had met in their first year at Hogwarts and had been inseparable ever since.

“I think that’s considered a success, don’t you?” The taller of the two asked through full laughter. Her full name was Charlotte Adelyn Goyle, sister to Gregory Goyle. Many at the school couldn’t believe that she was just a year younger than him, since she looked much older than others in her year. They also couldn’t believe that she was related to Goyle, since they looked nothing alike. Charlotte had gained her mother’s looks, while Goyle had inherited his father’s. Most believed she was the bastard child of one Lucius Malfoy, mainly because of her silvery-blonde hair, cool, crystalline blue gaze, and air of nobility, but that wasn’t true in any case. That rumor had been started by someone who hadn’t seen the girl’s angelic-looking mother.

“Indeed, that was a success,” Ellie replied as she laughed. As the two stepped into the Great Hall, kids and ever a few particular teachers seemed to dart out of their paths, with good reason. Poor Professor Flitwick had been doomed from the start with the girls, especially when they decided to play dumb and “accidentally” caught the back of his robes on fire in Charms class. They made their way to the Slytherin table and sat down, looking around at all the sets of eyes that had followed them as they walked; sets of eyes that quickly averted themselves as the girls sat.

“It’s like they’re avoiding us or something,” Charlotte said jokingly, shaking her head. Ellie looked around, laughing lightly then got a look of playful disbelief on her face.

“Like we’d ever do anything to them,” she commented in a voice that proved the comment otherwise. Charlotte laughed, drawing a bit of attention to the two of them. Gregory quickly moved to sit beside his sister, something they made sure to do every morning while they were at school. She insisted.

“Good morning, brother!” Charlotte called in a cheerful voice. “How are you today?” Gregory just gave her a hesitant look.

“I’m…fine. I guess you played a prank this morning,” he said slowly, watching her closely. Charlotte gave a playful gasp and her eyes widened before an all-knowing smile crossed her lips.

“Me? Play pranks? Never in my life,” she said, picking up some toast and placing it onto her plate. She glanced over his shoulder and noticed that Crabbe, Draco, Blaise, and Pansy had made their way to their part of the table. It didn’t occur often and it surprised her every time.

“I still can’t believe you got put into Advanced Potion Making with the sixth years and I’m stuck with the fourth years,” Gregory said, shaking his head a bit. Charlotte just shrugged as she scraped a thin layer of orange marmalade over her toast.

“It’s not that hard. All you have to follow directions, Gregory. It’s like…baking,” she said thoughtfully before taking a bite out of her toast.

“Yeah, Gregory, _baking_ ,” Ellie commented smartly after taking a bite from her toast. Gregory’s brow furrowed a bit before looking over at his sister in panic.

“You did not tell her what Grandma made me do over the summer,” he said in a low voice, staring at her. Charlotte just shrugged again, giggling lightly.

“Well…I can’t say that I did, because that would be a lie. However…I didn't stop Ellie from rummaging through my trunk and finding the incriminating photo,” she said, pinching his cheek lightly. Gregory just shook his head, wondering how his Grandmother had gotten him into a frilly, pink cooking apron and convinced him to make fluffy pink cupcakes. Ellie had taken up laughing lightly from her side of the table as she chewed on a piece of toast.

“So,” Blaise started from his place beside Ellie, “you two are becoming known as more badly behaved than the Weasley Twins amongst the teachers.” Charlotte looked up from her marmalade toast and smirked slightly.

“Did you hear that, Ellie? The _Weasley_ Twins,” she said with a knowing twinkle in her eyes. Ellie suddenly stopped laughing and glared a bit at Charlotte.

“I did hear that,” she replied through tight lips before kicking Charlotte’s shin under the table. Charlotte gave a slight ‘oof’ and pouted slightly, reaching down and rubbing her shin. It took a while for her to recover before she pulled back and leaned forward, looking past Gregory and focusing on Draco.

“Draco’s in my Potions class, isn’t he?” She asked, loud enough for Draco, who was the farthest away from her to hear. Draco, who had been listening to Pansy rattle on with a sour look on his face, looked up from his plate with a slight spark of interest. “Advanced Potion Making with Slughorn?” She asked, smirking slightly to him.

“I am,” he replied with a nod. Things went silent between the two of them for only a moment before Pansy flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled a smug smile.

“I’m in the class too,” she said snidely, looping her arm through Draco’s. Charlotte suddenly turned to her, continuing to smirk as her eyes lit up. Charlotte never liked the pug-faced bitch. She couldn't quite remember when she started disliking Pansy, but she knew that she did and it was something she constantly reminded the girl who was always hanging off of Draco's arm. It brought Charlotte no greater joy than to get into a verbal kerfuffle with the older girl.

“Well…that’s wonderful, Pansy…but…I wasn’t talking to you. And I think in common society it’s a little rude to butt-in to other conversations,” Charlotte said smartly, continuing to give her a sweet smile. Gregory guffawed a bit, but quickly turned it into coughing once he noticed the look Pansy was shooting him.

“What was that?” She asked, cutting her eyes at Charlotte. It was supposed to look menacing, but all it did was cause Charlotte to bite her bottom lip to suppress laughter.

“But I can’t expect you to know that, what with your bloodline and all,” Charlotte said snidely, picking up a ripe, red apple and turning it over in her hands as she looked away from Pansy. Ellie had started to laugh again, catching onto the inside joke between the two. Pansy’s cheeks flushed slightly in anger and Draco looked between the girls with an amused expression; the most Charlotte had seen out of him for a while.

“What’s wrong with my bloodline?” Pansy snapped. Ellie snorted a bit with laughter and looked over at Pansy.

“Well…there’s a rumor going around that you’re a bit of a…well…a mutt,” she said, glancing between Blaise, Crabbe, and Gregory who had all started chortling. Charlotte curled her lips in a bit as she watched Pansy’s face completely redden.

“Basically, Pansy, we think somewhere down the line there is a pug in your family tree. I’d also like to point out that bestiality, while accepted in some parts of the World, isn’t taken very well in jolly, old England and for that matter, the Wizarding World,” Charlotte added in a professional sounding voice as she placed the apple back down, which caused all four boys sitting at the table to burst into laughter. Pansy just huffed and looked to Draco, who face had gone slightly pink with the exertion of his laughter. She merely pouted and stood from the table, stomping out of the Great Hall.

“Wow,” Gregory said after recovering from a hard bout of laughing. He wrapped his baby sister into a one-armed hug. “Can I just say…that I am proud to have you for a sister,” he said, shaking her slightly. She just smiled and shrugged a bit.

“Anybody would be proud to have me for a sister,” she said before taking a bite of her toast.

“Not everyone,” Blaise commented with a knowing smirk. Charlotte slowly looked up from her plate and raised a brow, dropping her toast suddenly. Gregory's cherry expression dropped suddenly and he grit his teeth slightly, his hands clenching into fists on the tabletop. And anyone who was looking at Draco Malfoy could see his face harden slightly, if only for a moment. She folded her hands on the table and glanced to Ellie, who was watching with a slight smirk.

“Oh really, what can you ever mean by that comment, Zabini,” she asked with a sweet, innocent smile on her face. He just stared at her in astonishment, with a raised brow before regaining a smirk.

“I think you know what that means, Charlotte,” he said in a low voice, cutting his eyes playfully at the girl. She just blinked, watching him with a certain air of naivety about her.

“No, I don’t,” she said softly, shaking her head. He just watched her for a moment in confusion, not getting where she was going at with the conversation. “But I’m sure that everyone sitting here at this table wouldn’t mind hearing the reasons you wouldn’t want me to be your sister,” she added with a knowing smirk as Ellie took to laughing again. Gregory was glaring over at Zabini with venom in his gaze as Blaise’s jaw dropped in astonishment. Charlotte just shrugged, giggling lightly as she looked quite pleased with herself.

“Oh me,” she exclaimed, looking down at her necklace, which so conveniently had a small, pocket-watch on the end that let out a terrible sort of shriek if she didn’t get to her scheduled classes on time. Her parents had given it to her once the school contacted them about her chronic tardiness. “Look at the time,” she placed a hand on her cheek, “I’ll never get to the dungeons if I don’t leave now.” She stood from the table and looked down at Zabini with a smirk.

“Uh, Charlie…how is that skirt being allowed?” Gregory asked, wrinkling his face at his sister’s lack of skirt. Her bright face suddenly darkened a bit.

“Because I’m wearing it,” she snapped before sighing heavily. She looked up at Ellie with a sudden grin. “See you in Transfiguration, love,” she said to the girl as she stepped over the bench she had previously been sitting on. Draco murmured something about leaving for class as well and stood from the table.

“Bye darling,” she commented before Charlotte started to walk out, Draco trailing behind her. Ellie watched as the two of them left the Great Hall.

“When do you think they’ll finally realize that they’re perfect for each other,” Blaise commented softly to Ellie so that Gregory couldn’t hear.

“I haven’t the slightest idea. Let’s hope it’s soon,” she said with a smile to Blaise before returning to munching on her toast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This gets better, I promise you it does! These first two chapters just sort of set the scene. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!


	3. "Do nothing secretly; for Time sees and hears all things and discloses all."  -Sophocles

“Charlotte,” Draco called out to the blonde, causing her to spin around with an expectant look on her face as she stopped just outside the Great Hall.

“How many times have I told you to call me Charlie?” She asked softly with a small smile. Draco just stared at her for a moment, face emotionless as he studied the girl before him.

“Too many times,” he said softly. She merely crossed her arms over her chest and let out a sigh, regarding him with a warm look and a cheeky little smile. He bit his lip softly before saying, “Walk with me to Potions.”

“Is that an offer or a command?” Charlotte asked with a slight smirk. Draco raised a brow, matching her expression perfectly. 

“Both,” he said bluntly, causing the girl to let out a tiny laugh and shake her head.

“Alright…I’ll let you walk with me,” she said softly as they began to make their way down to the dungeons. “But just this once,” she said as she pointed an accusing finger at him and cut her eyes at him playfully. He laughed slightly and shook his head, his cheery expression lingering for a few moments. Charlotte grinned widely as she looked over at him. “I made Draco Malfoy laugh twice in the time frame of ten minutes. I think I just set a new world record,” she said. Draco just smiled a bit, shrugging his shoulders.

The two of them, even though they didn’t see eye-to-eye when they were younger--mainly because of a birthday party gone terribly awry, found that they had a lot in common between the two of them. The both loved the game of Quidditch, they loathed a certain Boy-Who-Lived, and they both had an unrivaled family pride. They, indeed, were perhaps two of the most pureblood families in the Wizarding World, yet they just remained loose friends. Pansy was relentless in her pursuit of Draco and Charlotte was far too flighty to be in a relationship with anyone. She enjoyed ever bit of her freedom...or that's at least what she kept telling everyone.

“So, are you excited about starting your sixth year at the lovely establishment known as Hogwarts?” Charlotte asked softly. Draco scrunched his nose up slightly and looked ahead as the made their way down the nearly deserted stairs. He remained silent, his brow slightly furrowed quizzically. “I’ll take that as a no then,” she said with a nod. Things went silent between the two of them, yet their walked nearly shoulder to shoulder, students dodging around the two of them. Before Charlotte went to walk into the Potion’s room, Draco stopped her.

“Thanks for getting Pansy…distracted this morning,” he said softly. “She was on my case about something and wouldn’t shut up.” Charlotte just smiled widely and shrugged a bit before looking Draco right in the eye.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said softly before gaining an expression that insinuated more than she was about to say, “I’ll always be here to help you…if you need me.” She then walked into the room, leaving Draco in the hallway to think about just what she meant. Her words had caught him off guard and it got the gears in his mind working. She couldn’t possibly know what he had been chosen for, since he would know if she had been chosen as a Death Eater. His brow grew even more quizzical before he tried to clear her words from his head and walked into the classroom, trying to brush off what she said as a mere friendly gesture.

His silver-blue eyes darted around the classroom, looking for a seat. He noticed Hermione Granger was already present and had a book in her grasp. No one was sitting down yet, so he supposed Professor Slughorn was going to do a demonstration before they began class. He stepped over to a cupboard and pulled out a new-looking book, since he hadn’t had time to go school shopping with all the trials that went on. He glanced over the book before looking across the room.

Charlotte was leaned against the wall, her long legs crossed one over the other and her head was tilted back slightly. Her eyes were closed and he could only wonder if she had gotten enough sleep the previous night. She had planned a prank for that morning, so he guess she had been up all night making sure it was seamless. She was like that with everything she did. She had to be 100 percent sure that everything would run smoothly before she even thought about doing it.

“Draco, why don’t you stand beside me?” Asked a shrill sounding voice as Pansy stepped into his view. He stared down at her for a moment before glancing over her shoulder to spy that Charlotte was looking at the two of them darkly. She, however, quickly noticed he was looking and closed her eyes again.

“Fine,” Draco managed to get out past clenched teeth. Pansy gave a nasally giggle and wrapped both of her arms around one of his. She pulled him over so they were just beside Charlotte. Pansy looked over at Charlotte with a proud look before looking up at Draco and giving him a wink.

“Wow…if you were any more desperate, Pansy, your clothes would be off and you’d have flashing lights around you,” Charlotte commented with a dramatic roll of her crystal-like eyes. Pansy just gave another nasally laugh and shook her head.

“At least I’m not the one with a troll in my family,” she said smartly, smirking to Charlotte. The classroom fell silent as Charlotte pushed off the wall, gaining a stolid, nearly murderous look as she took slow, calculated steps toward Pansy.

“What did you say?” Charlotte asked lowly, her hands clenching into fists at her side. That was one thing people never, under any circumstances did to Charlotte; people never spoke poorly about her family...unless they wanted the consequences. Her brother meant everything to her and to call him a troll was a surefire way to get her angry.

“That’s right, you heard me. I said Goyle is a troll…and I wouldn’t be surprised if your father was one either. I feel sorry for your mother for having to deal with such ugliness,” she continued on and on, when everyone knew she had just been digging herself deeper and deeper into her own grave. Charlotte merely set her jaw and took in a deep breath of air before pulling out her wand. “Oh, you want a duel, you half-troll?” Pansy asked, pulling out her wand. Charlotte cut her eyes at her and one could nearly see the flames of anger behind them.

“Stupe-”

“Charlotte,” Draco cut in before the spell could be thrown. Her eyes suddenly turned to his and he shook his head slowly, not wanting her to get in trouble this soon in the school year. Draco thought Pansy deserved the hex more than anything in the world at the moment, but he knew the repercussions placed on Charlotte would be much worse. Charlotte’s wand dropped to her side and her expression relaxed. Suddenly, she lifted her wand again and Draco was prepared for the worst.

“Accio, potions book,” she said in a monotone sort of voice, her eyes still boring holes into Draco’s. Suddenly, the grey-bound book was caught nimbly in her fingers, without her having to take a second look. She had made the Slytherin Quidditch team the previous year with skills like that; she played as a Chaser. Her eyes broke away from Draco’s sharply and she looked down at Pansy, the icy look in her eyes returning.

“I’d be careful next time, Pansy. You were lucky this time,” she said lowly. “Very…lucky,” she added before her lip curled into a slight snarl before she glanced once more to Draco then took her place back on the wall. Instead of closing her eyes, this time she merely stared lifelessly at the floor. Pansy immediately started talking to Draco again whilst he merely acted like he was looking ahead when he was really looking at Charlotte. He knew she hated people joking Goyle. He knew she loathed when they said anything about her father and mother. He knew she had the right to be angry, because they were her family and he would be the same way.

Professor Slughorn decided he would make his way from his office and into the Potion’s classroom just as the last straggling students decided to join in. Charlotte looked over at him and watched him as he stood in front of the rather impressive crowd of students for an Advanced Potions Class.

“So, I hear that you have had the same Potions teacher, for your entire Hogwarts career. I’ll have you know, that while I may not be as menacing as our dear Professor Snape…I am just as relentless in my pursuit of getting you all to a mastery of potions,” Professor Slughorn said before smiling a smile that nearly had Charlotte laughing and smiling. One of his faded blue eyes had crinkled, normally for someone smiling when the other had nearly closed completely.

“And…with the approval of Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore we were allowed a rather bright fifth year to join our class. Charlotte Goyle, where are you?” He asked, glancing around the classroom. Charlotte meekly raised one of her hands, watching the Professor with a hesitant look. “Ah! There you are! Blended right in, didn’t you?” He asked, with a bit of a chuckle. Charlotte managed a small smile and nodded slightly. “I expect great things from you, Miss. Goyle,” he said before turning to the class. Charlotte glanced around to spy that most of the class had turned and looked at her with slightly envious looks; particularly Hermione Granger. To get on the good terms with Professor Slughorn was easily; to be placed in an advanced class a year earlier by Professor Snape was unheard of.

“I hope that by the end of this class, you all will be fluent in the art of Potion-Making and you will all achieve above expectation marks on your O.W.L.’s in this class. However, this will not be an easy feat,” Professor Slughorn broke off his little speech to notice a particular red-head and skinny, spectacled boy entering the classroom.

“Potter, how good to see you!” He exclaimed. “There are extra books in the cupboard in the back.” Charlotte and Draco both scowled a bit at the entrance of Potter and Weasley into the class, but said nothing amongst themselves since Pansy was whispering it all under her breath; obviously to get on Draco’s good side.

“Now, I have up here with me a few very potent potions and I would like for you to try and guess what they are, based upon their color, smells, and steam. This first one here; can anyone tell me what it is?” Professor Slughorn asked, holding up a nondescript vial full of a clear liquid. Hermione’s hand immediately shot into the air to which Professor Slughorn nodded to.

“It’s a Vertiaserum: colorless, odorless and causes whoever ingests it to only speak the truth,” she explained with a proud smile.

“Oho! Correct you are!” He exclaimed and placed the vial down. He then picked up at clear cup full of a lumpy sort, dark liquid and held it up to the class. Hermione’s hand shot up again.

“That’s Polyjuice Potion. It turns a person into a different person for a short period of time,” Hermione said. Slughorn nodded with a wide smile before lifting up the lid of a pot. Inside, the potion had swirling steam and a mother-of-pearl sheen. Instantly, nearly all the girls in the room where sniffing curiously at the air.

“This one?” Slughorn asked, glancing around the room. Hermione’s hand was raised again but this time Charlotte wanted to answer; to prove herself worth of being in an advanced class.

“It’s Amortentia,” she said softly, looking over the potion carefully.

“Yes, Miss. Goyle, nicely done. What exactly does it do?” Professor Slughorn asked, watching Charlotte closely for her answer even though Hermione continued to raise her hand.

“It’s the most powerful love potion in the world,” she said. Slughorn nodded.

“This potion can not create love nor imitate it. It only creates intense infatuation and admiration toward the brewer of the potion. It is said to smell differently to everyone and those smells are indicative of things that attract the smeller. Miss. Goyle, would you care to tell us all what you smell?” He asked. Charlotte looked over at him before nodding slightly and leaning closer to the potion sniffing lightly.

“I smell…freshly sprayed men’s cologne, pine trees, and…” Her brow furrowed slightly and she shook her head a bit, swallowing hard.

“And…” Professor Slughorn pushed her on, wanting to get the final smell from her. Charlotte’s eyelids fluttered slightly before she took one final smell of the Amorentia and stepped back.

“I also smell…burning broomstick wood,” she said with a nod before looking away. Draco’s eyes suddenly darted to her and his brow furrowed slightly at the memory of her seventh birthday party. He took in a deep breath and looked away, biting at the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying anything.

“Broomstick wood, you say?” Professor Slughorn leaned forward a bit, as if he hadn’t heard her right. Charlotte just nodded again, wordlessly, before looking down to the ground. His brows raised slightly before shrugged. “Well…that’s a new one. Fifteen points to Slytherin for Miss. Goyle’s answer and twenty to Gryffindor for Miss. Granger’s answers.” He then motioned to a small, upside-down, tear-shaped bottle. “Now, for today’s assignment just to see if you are all up to par with your potion making; first, can anyone tell me what this is?”

“Felix Felicis,” Hermione and Charlotte said at the same time; Hermione’s voice being short and snippy, while Charlotte’s voice was full and smooth. The both turned to each other with matching snarls. Charlotte’s being much more intimidating than Hermione’s since Charlotte had much more practice at being intimidating. Slughorn glanced between the two of them with a surprised look on his face.

“Oho! I see we have a bit of friendly, classroom rivalry,” he exclaimed with a wide smile.

“‘Friendly’ rivalry, my arse,” Charlotte ground out nearly silently through her teeth. Draco was the only one that heard it and had to stifle an indignant laugh by curling in his lips and biting them.

“But yes,” Professor Slughorn continued. “This is Felix Felicis, also known as Liquid Luck. Now, this is a small batch, so whoever drinks it will have twelve, undivided hours of impeccable luck.” The class was now on edge to see why the potion was in such a portable state and how they could attain it. “This is prize for whoever can successfully render a perfect Draught of Living Death, instructions are found on page ten of your books. I must warn you that you are not allowed, by school regulations, to use this in instances of sports activities, examinations or elections. It must be used on an ordinary day only. Now…get to it!” The class was immediately in a flurry to see who could brew the first batch.


	4. "What is told into the ear of a man is often heard a hundred miles away."  -Chinese Proverb

“I can’t believe that insufferable git Potter got the Felix Felicis and I didn’t,” Charlotte spat as she stomped away from the Potions room, clutching the book in her arms like it was the reason she failed. Draco was walking just behind Charlotte and Pansy was walking not too far behind Draco as Charlotte fumed to herself. Draco was cursing himself as well for not being able to brew a proper potion and he hadn’t seen how Potter had done it with his record of Potion class failures. “Had writing all over his book, nasty little cheat,” Charlotte continued to murmur under her breath.

“Charlotte, I’m sure it’s not that important,” Ellie said cautiously as she had met up with the girl outside of the classroom. Charlotte stopped suddenly and Draco stopped as well, watching her closely. He wanted to know why she wanted it so bad. He had seen her Draught and it had been made just as well as Potter’s. Granted, the leaf Slughorn dropped into her potion incinerated a little slower than Potter’s did; she did it without the help of scribbled words in her brand new book.

“Not important, Ellie—how could you say that? Of course, it was important,” Charlotte said sharply, shaking her head slightly. Ellie just let out an agitated sigh and watched her closely.

“Well, what were you going to do with it? I consider you one of the luckiest people I know,” she said before biting her bottom lip. Charlotte slowly turned her eyes to Draco, as if she had known he was following her all along, and she stared at him for a moment. Ellie followed her gaze before returning to Charlotte, confusion forming in her eyes. Charlotte looked away suddenly and shook her head before looking back at Ellie.

“It doesn’t matter what I would have done with it. All that matters is that Potter cheated, when clearly I deserved it.” She took in a deep breath before adding, a dark undertone in her voice, “And I’m not that lucky either, I only appear to be.” Before Ellie knew it Charlotte was continuing to walk again. Ellie glanced back to Draco in confusion before running after Charlotte to catch up with her long-legged strides as she passed the Slytherin Common Room.

“Alright, I guess I can accept that answer, but you better tell me everything when we get to the girl’s dormitories tonight, understood?” Ellie asked, looking at Charlotte sternly. Charlotte glanced over at the girl and knew that she would have to tell her something before the girl used any means she could to get it out of her. Charlotte merely nodded tersely, biting her bottom lip nervously. “You better calm down before Transfiguration or McGonagall will put your arse in detention. You remember the last time you tried to transfigure something when you were angry,” Ellie said, tittering lightly with small giggles again. Charlotte smiled for the first time since before Potion’s class and looked over at her friend.

“I suppose she doesn’t want another rabid, biting, writing desk rampaging the room for parchment again, does she?” Charlotte asked as she giggled lightly. The two girls glanced over their shoulders to spy that Draco had disappeared from behind them. Charlotte took in a deep breath and her smile slowly faded. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him this year. He seems a completely different person from last year. He doesn’t even have any intentions of trying out for the Quidditch team…and he loves Quidditch,” she said softly before they both turned and continued to walk to the Transfiguration room. The sun cut brightly through the mullioned windows of the corridor, letting the girls know that their morning classes were almost halfway over.

“It’s probably just stress, you know? With all his father’s trials and what-not that went on over the summer,” Ellie said thoughtfully, glancing over at Charlotte. “You shouldn’t worry too much about it, Charlie. He’s a big boy now and he can deal with things for himself.” She placed a comforting hand on her arm for a moment before dropping her hand back at her side.

“I guess you’re right, Ellie,” was all Charlotte could manage to say in her thought-heavy mind before adding a humorless laugh. “I don’t even know why it’s bothering me so much…” She knew the deeper reasons for Draco’s changing, but she also knew that no one else could know so she managed to keep it all secret. She also knew another secret as to why she cared, but that had only recently been brought to her attention. Through years and years of keeping secrets, she found she did quite well with them. She managed to send Ellie a small smile before the two of them walked into the Transfiguration room, McGonagall already sitting at the head of the classroom with a pleasant smile on her face as she watched the students trickle into the classroom.

The students finished out their first day back to Hogwarts and were now tucking into some dinner. For some of them, it felt odd to be back. For others, they fell easily back into the step and routine of being on someone else’s schedule other than their own. One particular part of the Slytherin table was quiet as Ellie and Charlotte ate their dinner alone. This silence was extremely odd for the two of them, and was seen as almost an omen for the rest of the school. This meant to the student body that either they were thinking very hard about a next prank, or they were at odds with each other. Neither was true.

Ellie was thinking very hard, but not about pranks. A few years back, when a certain boy wonder had become the fourth Triwizard Champion and his best friend had stopped talking to him out of jealousy, he spent a lot of time in the library just thinking. Ellie, having been rambunctious enough in History of Magic, had been given a two foot length of an essay about the four founders of Hogwarts and had been pouring over book after book. Her plethora of books had flooded over to his side of the table, gaining his attention, and the two of them began to talk. Unfortunately for Ellie, when the golden friendship was repaired, he never spoke to Ellie again. She hadn’t let go of it still and every once in a while, she get the unnerving feeling that she wanted to go and talk to him out of the blue.

Charlotte was thinking over the course of the day. It started off well, with a successful prank, and then it just seemed to go downhill from there. Transfiguration hadn’t gone so well, since she wasn’t focused and couldn’t do a thing. By lunch, half the school had heard about her two small tiffs with Pansy Pug-Face...and was taking Pansy’s side. She managed to piss Snape off, but only slightly with no deduction of house points, only a detention to be served the next day since he couldn’t be bothered with her later on in the evening since he had detention with Potter. He said it required his full attention. And in Divination, she had received a death omen/prophecy/bullshit from Professor Trelawney. The last one actually wasn’t so bad, since it provided her a laugh after class.

“I’m going to the dormitories for something, but we can talk about…certain issues later,” she said, glancing around the table to make sure no one was watching. Ellie just nodded numbly, stabbing her fork into her mashed potatoes over and over again. “Look…why don’t you go talk to Weasley?” Ellie suddenly looked to Charlotte with a slightly frightened look.

“I know you want to and Potter’s got detention right now, so he’s probably all alone if Granger isn’t there. I overheard him talking to Potter about trying out for the Gryffindor team…maybe try to talk to him about that,” Charlotte said with a small smile before standing from the table and walking from the Great Hall. Ellie just gaped at her retreating back before looking over at the Gryffindor table. Sure enough, the red-head in question was sitting there flanked by Neville and Ginny, but looked awfully bored. Ellie stood with a renewed confidence in herself and slowly made her way to the table.

Charlotte made her way through the nearly deserted hallways, since most students were still at dinner and most of the ghosts were no where to be found. She slowly found her way to the Slytherin Dungeons and went straight to the fifth year dormitories and began to pick through her trunk. It took her a while, but she found what she was looking for and clutched it in her hand. She quickly left the empty dormitory and started to make her way back to the Great Hall.

Climbing up the stairs from the dungeons, she heard an awfully familiar sounding voice talking in a snippy, snotty tone. Charlotte quickly slid into the shadows and pressed herself up against the wall, remaining quiet to listen to what she was saying.

“She’s just jealous of you, Pansy,” one voice said, echoing darkly against the walls.

“Totally,” another voice chimed in. Charlotte bit her bottom lip to keep from bursting into laughter.

“Well…I have Draco wrapped around my finger. He could barely keep his eyes off of me in Potions today,” the she-devil spoke herself. “Besides, she acts so immature and like a little girl sometimes with all her prank playing. He doesn’t want a girl, he wants a woman. Charlotte is just…blah. She’s so annoying and she treats him like a brother instead of a boyfriend. Not to mention, she’s already on her way to looking like a troll, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Draco broke it off with her all together.” Charlotte’s brow furrowed at this, her heart stinging slightly at the hateful words.

“She’s not that pretty anyways and she’s always showing off her legs. She’s basically already a whore because that’s the only way she’d get it: if someone paid for it,” one of Pansy’s cronies said as they disappeared from hearing range. Charlotte felt tears sting her eyes at their words. Even though she told herself time and time again to ignore what they were saying, she couldn’t help to think if Draco thought the same of her. Soon, she found herself crumbling down the wall before curling up into a ball and sobbing into her knees. The sobbing wasn’t a product of their words, but the wear and tear of a horrible day and their comments had set her emotions aflame.

Charlotte sat there, sniffling in the darkness by herself as students who were too ignorant to find where the crying was coming from, or thinking it was just Moaning Myrtle floating through the pipes, as they made their way to the dormitories for the night. She then heard one, single pair of footsteps making their way down the corridor. She let out a loud sniffle before righting herself, figuring it was time for her to pick herself together.

“Who’s there?” A commanding voice called out. Charlotte drew in a deep breath and flattened herself against the wall, immediately recognizing the voice. “I am a prefect, going against my command is futile,” the voice continued and Charlotte could see that he had his wand at the ready. Things went silent and he looked around challengingly before Peeves descended from the ceiling just beside him, floating upside down as he chuckled.

“She’s over there!” Peeves called out as he pointed into the small niche Charlotte was hidden in. “And she’s been crying like a baaaaaby!” Peeves wailed tauntingly as he kicked his legs and floated back into the ceiling. The prefect’s lips snarled characteristically as he watched the ghost before stepping over to the niche.

“Lumos,” he murmured before sticking his wand into the niche and placing his wand underneath the person’s chin before even recognizing who it was. Charlotte looked up at Draco with wide, watery eyes and he immediately drew back. “Charlie? Why didn’t you tell me it was you?” He asked softly as she stepped out from the shadows. He noticed nearly dried tear marks down her cheeks, her nose was slightly pink and her eyes were puffy. She just looked up at him and shrugged, letting out a small sigh. “Have you been crying, Charlotte?” She looked down to the ground and bit her bottom lip before looking up at him.

“It doesn’t matter, Draco,” she said, shaking her head and forcing a smile for him. “I really shouldn’t have let it get to me.”

“Did Pansy say something to you?” He asked, watching her closely. Charlotte rubbed her face clear of tears and shook her head.

“Well…she didn’t say it to me, but I overheard it,” she said before biting her bottom lip. Draco just looked at her and she took in a deep breath, looking up at him. “Don’t worry about it. She’s just…Pansy.” She shook her head, letting out a tearful laugh. “I was looking for you before…” She clutched at the tiny item in her hand.

“You were?” Draco asked as his brow furrowed slightly. Charlotte nodded and looked up at him with a small smile.

“Yeah, I just wanted to give you something,” she said softly. “Hold out your hand.” Draco watched her carefully before shaking his head, letting out a small laugh.

“Is this another one of your pranks?” He asked, which in turn caused Charlotte to laugh. She shook her head quickly, now grinning widely. He reluctantly lifted his hand, palm up and watched her carefully. Charlotte slowly stretched out her hand and placed the small furry object into his hand. He looked over the silver object carefully before looking at her. “What it is?”

“It’s a rabbit’s foot. If you put it in your left back pocket, it’s said to bring you luck,” she explained. She noticed he still held a curious look on his face and she sighed lightly. “I saw how much you wanted the Felix Felicis today and I thought maybe you would like a little luck, even if it’s not much.” He looked at the little, silver paw before looking up at Charlotte.

“You don’t really believe in this, do you?” He asked. Charlotte just shook her head and laughed lightly.

“No, but I’ve found it to have a nice placebo effect,” she said with a nod.

“Well…thanks, Charlie. That’s really nice of you,” he said, not really knowing what else to say.

“Don’t mention it,” she said softly, “That’s what friends are for.” Charlotte then stepped in and wrapped her arms around Draco. Draco just stood there awkwardly before wrapping his arms around her. She rested her chin on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “I’m only here to help.” Charlotte then pulled away and looked over Draco’s now extremely confused face. “Goodnight,” she said cheerfully before she turned and began to walk back to the Slytherin Common Room, while Draco just shook his head to clear his thoughts, and began to go back to Prefect duties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting this! I should get back to posting regularly. Also, I've been wanting to get back into the swing of RP-ing with people. So if anyone would happen to know a solid website for mainly tv show/movie/book based RPs, just shoot me a message! I'd greatly appreciate it!


	5. "Where secrecy or mystery begins, vice or roguery is not far off." - Samuel Johnson

“So…let me get this straight,” Ellie said, looking at Charlotte carefully. “The reason you wanted to get the Felix Felicis in Potions was to give it to Draco, correct?” Charlotte just nodded as she sat cross-legged on her bed. It was already late into the night, but neither of the girls could get to sleep. Thankfully, they didn’t have any other roommates. Slytherin hadn’t been a very popular house in their year for girls. “You wanted to give him the Felix Felicis because you thought it would make him happy?” Charlotte nodded again, looking a bit sheepish. “So…you gave him your lucky rabbit foot?!”

“It’s not really lucky…” Charlotte said softly, giving a small shrug. She glanced up to Ellie to see her looking at her with eyes that said otherwise. “What? It really isn’t.” Ellie just gave a heavy sigh and shook her head.

“Well…don’t cry to me when you don’t make the Quidditch team this year, that’s all I have to say,” she said before curling up into her sheets and turning her back to Charlotte.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…hold on. You still haven’t told me about you and Ronald,” Charlotte said, crossing her arms and staring at Ellie’s back. “I talked…now it’s your turn.” Ellie just let out a sigh.

“That…wasn’t part of the deal,” she said before snuggling back into her pillow with a smile, unbeknownst to Charlotte. Charlotte stared at Ellie’s back for a few moments before letting out a slightly agitated growl and flipping under her own sheets hurriedly.

“I’m going to get it out of you, you know that, right?” Charlotte asked, speaking in the opposite direction of Ellie.

“Yeah, yeah…sure,” was all Ellie said before the two of them slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, they woke up begrudgingly since they only had around four hours of sleep, and went to shower before going to eat breakfast. As the dressed, they both noticed their hair was still sopping wet. Thankfully, Charlotte knew just the spell for drying hair. Of course, they hadn’t learned it in school, but when did two Slytherin pranksters need an excuse to learn nifty spells. Charlotte secretly decided to wear her hair down and dabbed on a bit of perfume. Ellie, however, noticed it and smirked slightly.

“Is there someone you’re wearing your hair down and perfume for today?” Ellie asked, but already knew. Charlotte vehemently shook her head and denied it. “Okay,” Ellie said and shook her head slowly, “if you say so.”

As they entered the Great Hall, they noticed that most of the students were already there. The made their way to the Slytherin table and sat down in the spot they normally did and began to dig into breakfast. Gregory made his usual trek to their side of the table, but this time he was alone. He looked over Charlotte with an odd look before shaking his head and tucking into his breakfast.

“So…how was your first day back?” Charlotte asked before taking a bit out of her marmalade toast.

“’S alright, I suppose,” Gregory said with a shrug. “I heard about yours…” Charlotte’s chewing slowly a bit before she swallowed whatever toast she had in her mouth.

“You did?” She asked, looking up at him with slightly scared, wide blue eyes. She didn’t know if he had heard about her almost getting into a fight with Pansy, or her almost getting thrown out of Defense Against the Dark Arts, or even the fact that Pansy had made her cry yesterday.

“Yeah, I did,” he said, staring at her for a moment as if he wanted her to explain something. “You gave away your lucky rabbit’s foot?” He asked her quietly. Charlotte just rolled her eyes and shook her head, taking a sip of her orange juice. When Gregory found out that Charlotte was ignoring his looks, he spoke up again. “Charlie, you’ve had that thing since you were four and you’ve sworn by it ever since.” Charlotte took in a deep breath and looked over at him, a slightly perturbed smile on her lips.

“Well…I’ve decided I don’t need it anymore,” she said with a shrug before finishing her slice of toast. “It’s mine to give to whoever I want to, isn’t it?” Gregory just stared at her for a moment and she smiled, genuinely this time. “I rest my case,” she said as she folded her hands on the top of the table. Ellie giggled suddenly from her side of the table, looking between the siblings as if she were watching one of those Muggle sitcoms. Ellie didn’t have any siblings, but she found the interaction between the brother and sister extremely funny.

“But…why Draco,” he asked, leaning close enough to Charlotte so that only she could hear him. He leaned back, watching her with a furrowed brow. Charlotte looked up at him for a moment before shrugging and looking away, feigning disinterest.

“Why not Draco,” she questioned in response. “He’s my friend, isn’t he?” Gregory just shook his head and looked down at his breakfast, in disbelief of how blasé Charlotte was being.

“Well…don’t come crying to me when something goes wrong and you haven’t got your lucky rabbit’s foot,” he said grumpily as he looked over the rest of the breakfast foods.

“Ha! I told you, Charlie! I told you,” Ellie exclaimed from her side of the table with an exuberant expression on her face, but once she noticed the look both of the Goyle’s were sending her she curled her lips in and shrunk a bit in her seat. Charlotte then opened her mouth to say something but was met by a blunt force colliding with the side of her head, which sent her careening into Gregory’s shoulder. She immediately pulled herself off of her brother’s side and looked behind her to spy the back of Pansy Parkinson, quickly fleeing the Great Hall.

“You bitch!” Charlotte shouted before standing. The knock to the side of her head threw off her equilibrium and she wobbled on her feet at bit and fell backwards over the back of the bench. Her skirt had flipped up in the process of falling and when she slammed back onto the floor, her boy-cut, green underwear were displayed for the entirety of the Great Hall to see. Gregory immediately stood and pulled her skirt back down, but the damage had been done. The Hall was now rolling with laughter. Charlotte remained on the floor, her legs bent in awkward angles and her head resting on the cobblestone floors.

“Are you alright, Charlie?” Gregory asked as he knelt beside her. Charlotte raised her brows lazily, her head having knocked into the floor harder than Pansy could ever hit. That is…if Pansy hit her with her fist.

“I’m…pretty dizzy right now,” she said in an airy voice.

“Move over, Goyle, I’ll take her to the hospital wing,” Draco said, pushing Gregory to the side. Soon, Charlotte was being lifted into someone’s arms seemingly effortlessly and the partly cloudy, Great Hall ceiling grew a little bit closer to her. “Besides, it’s probably my fault anyways…” Draco carried out of the Great Hall, hearing the laughter dying down dramatically once they realized that Charlotte didn’t seem herself and had to be carried from the Hall.

Gregory just watched as Draco disappeared with his sister and set his jaw. He sat back down at the table and clenched his hands into fists.

“He better hope it wasn’t his fault…he better…” He grumbled, causing Ellie to give a small noise before standing and quickly leaving the table before he decided to get angry.

Once the noises from the Great Hall faded into the distance, Charlotte began to seem a bit…off to Draco.

“Put me down,” she said, staring wide-eyed at the great expanse between her and floor over her shoulder. “I can walk.” Draco merely stopped and looked at her carefully.

“Are you sure, Charlie?” He asked hesitantly before biting his bottom lip. Charlotte nodded and grinned up to him.

“Of course, I am. I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t,” she said. Draco slowly let her down on her feet and watched as she righted herself. She took in a deep breath and the two of them began walking.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Draco asked as his brow furrowed concernedly. Charlotte just nodded and smiled over at Draco as she walked. She stopped suddenly, her hand grasping the side of her head.

“Oh boy,” she breathed before her body began to lean to the right, taking wobbling steps as she did; each step looking as though it could send her to the floor. Draco let out a tiny gasp and quickly walked over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him to ensure she didn’t hit her head on the wall; which just so happened to be inches away from her head before he grabbed her. Charlotte giggled lightly before her face contorted and she looked up at Draco, swaying slightly. “She used magic on me…didn’t she?” Draco just sighed and quickly put his arm under her legs lifting her back up into his arms, causing Charlotte to give a raspy squeal as her head lolled into the crook of his arm.

When the two of them reached the hospital wing, Draco knew, without a doubt, that Pansy had used some sort of charm to confuse her and mess up her balance. He didn’t know exactly which spell she had used on Charlotte, but it certainly had done its job. When Madam Pomfrey had reached the duo, Charlotte was playing a rather unconvincing game of “Got-Your-Nose” with Draco.

“Too much butterbeer?” Madam Pomfrey asked as she directed Draco over to a bed. He slowly set Charlotte down on the bed, causing her to let out a loud giggle at the bounce it produced before snorting in air.

“No…I think someone hit her with a Confundus charm,” Draco said, looking over at Madam Pomfrey for a moment. She looked over at him carefully.

“Well…did any of the professors see it happen?” She asked, placing her hands on her hips before quickly reaching over to stop Charlotte from grabbing a bottle of Skele-gro and downing it.

“No, it happened so fast and it’s taken a while for her to get like this,” he explained. Madam Pomfrey shook her head and ‘tsk’-ed softly.

“Then it wasn’t a really good Confundus,” she said before watching as Charlotte looked up at the ceiling curiously before a wide smile crossed her lips. “I can deal with it; however, you need to get to class.” Draco just nodded numbly before looking over at Madam Pomfrey with wide eyes.

“No, I need to stay and explain things to her,” he said, shaking his head a bit. Madam Pomfrey merely smirked and shook her head.

“You’ve already said you were getting to class, Mr. Malfoy. And if Miss. Goyle’s life were in any danger, I would let you stay. Seeing as though it’s a simple Confundus charm, she’ll live…and you’ll go to class.” Draco just let out a sigh and shook his head a bit.

“When will she be all better?” He asked before biting his bottom lip. Madam Pomfrey glanced over at Charlotte who had crawled nearly halfway under the covers of the bed, her long, stocking-covered legs and shoes were the only thing visible of her.

“I can’t say…she seems to be…very out of it,” she said. She then looked over at Draco and shooed him out of the hospital wing, before dealing with the very daunting task of getting Charlotte Goyle to stay still long enough for her to successfully try a countercharm. As Draco was leaving, he heard Charlotte’s cheery, yet extremely spaced-out voice call behind him, “You forgot your nose!” It brought a smile to his face, if only for the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowly but surely posting chapters for this story. I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!


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